Small Plane Crashes In Gaithersburg, Pilot Uses Parachute

The Washington Post reports that a small, four-seater plane crashed into a Montgomery County subdivision on Sunday, March 15, a quarter before two in the afternoon. The pilot of the plane parachuted to safety in the moments before the crash, while no one was injured on the ground.

The pilot, who has yet to be identified, reported mechanical problems with his Cirrus SR-22 to the Montgomery County Airpark shortly after takeoff and attempted to land back at the airport immediately. However, the plane began to lose altitude and the pilot ejected from the plane using a rocket-propelled parachute. Before leaving the plane, he set the plane on a course to crash at the entrance of the Flower Hill subdivision where he did not see any people.

The Montgomery County Fire and Emergency Medical Services reported that although there was some property damage where the plane went done, the mess was being cleaned up while FAA investigators analyzed the crash site for any remaining clues as to what caused the mechanical issues. Maryland environmental workers were also called to the plane accident crash site to clean up 100 gallons of fuel that spilled during the plane wreck. One wing of the plane clipped a delivery truck during it’s crash.

Neighborhood residents reported hearing a plane in distress followed by the sound of an explosion as the plane crashed. One, Michael McCary, saw the pilot’s parachute and went to help the man, who was uninjured by shaken by the crash.